New York's first person to contract Eastern equine encephalitis -- or EEE -- in almost a decade has died, the governor's office announced Monday as the state declared the virus an "imminent threat to public health.

The New York resident who tested positive for the mosquito-borne EEE virus has died, prompting state health officials to declare an "imminent threat to the public for EEE."

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday afternoon the Ulster County resident believed to have contracted New York state’s first case of EEE since 2015 died.